Here and Now
by catgirl Serenity
Summary: An alternate ending to Harry Potter. I wrote this for a newspaper competition and got published! YAY! Anyways i haven't posted anything in a while so i decided to post this. I tried to avoid angst, tell me what you think! Enjoy! And Please Read and Review


Harry's arm fell to his side. It was over. A dry laugh escaped his lips, he could not believe it, but the motionless figure before him was proof enough. Harry watched as blood began to stain the ground around the fallen dark lord, So, Harry noted through his haze of disbelief, he was still human enough to bleed…I had wondered.

His side gave another jarring throb of pain but what he really felt was the wave of overpowering exhaustion that swept over him. He was so tired. Even lifting his wand seemed like an overbearing chore, he wanted nothing more than just to collapse where he stood and sleep. But he could not. No, first he had to see the others.

Turning away from his mortal enemy, Harry began the long walk down the sloping ridge where their battle had taken place. Every movement sent another jolt of pain through his body followed by the far more overpowering feeling fatigue that followed. His entire body screamed for rest but his feet kept moving, and some how he plowed his way through the pain and exhaustion. He had to see them.

Soon he entered the trees, the dense forested area he had run through only an hour ago. Just an hour. It was strange how years of running, of training, fighting and pain had come down to one simple hour of life-or-death combat, no running, no backing out. And it was over.

Finally one jolt of pain managed to break through his unwavering will long enough for him to pause. His breath was shallow and heavy as he leaned against a near by pine, ignoring the sharp needles that prickled at his skin. "Please," he muttered to the heavens, "Just give me a little longer." Then, pushing himself off the old tree, he continued his tortured walk through the woods. The puddles of blood he left behind going unnoticed to the boy who lived.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, he made it. The dense trees opened to a large clearing. His first impression was the blinding glare of the sun as it beat down on him from the heavens. It was such an amazingly perfect day, the type of whether a Quidditch player such as himself dreamed of: clear blue skies with only the occasional cloud to provide some shade, a gentle breeze to keep the air cool and fresh, and a bright sun. But thoughts of the day soon disappeared as his eyes found the two he'd been looking for.

"Hey."

Hermione jumped and spun, her hands on her wand and her eyes shining with tears. Harry saw relief spread across her face followed by a huge smile. Harry did his best to return it, remembering a time when those teeth had been crooked and large. It was odd how pain managed to bring out the strangest memories.

Hermione's smile vanished though as her eyes found the cuts on his face and arms and finally came to rest on his side. "Oh! Oh, Harry." Her voice broke as tears came to her eyes.

Harry shook his head, "It's fine. Are you okay?"

The brunette nodded, "I'm fine, now."

Harry mimicked her action as he nodded his understanding. "How's Ron?"

"He's fine." Coughed the red head from where he lay. Harry allowed himself a tired grin, Hermione had worked her magic once again—literally. Most of Ron's wounds were bandaged and some of the minor ones healed.

"I need to get him to a Healer soon." Hermione told Harry, her voice heavy with guilt. Voldermort had placed Hermione under the Imperious Curse early on in the battle and forced her to fight Ron and Harry. It had not been a pleasant experience for any of them, with Ron finally urging Harry to go after Voldermort. Ron had been able to revive Hermione but not without suffering serous injuries.

Harry, suppressing a gasp of pain, kneeled next to Hermione, "It wasn't your fault." He reminded her, "It could have happened to anyone of us."

"Yeah," Ron muttered, opening his swollen eyes just enough to see Hermione and Harry, "I just wish you weren't such a ruddy genius with a wand." Ron winced as he turned his head slightly to look at Harry, "How are you doing, mate?"

Harry removed his blood stained hand from his side, "I've been better."

Ron stared at Harry's wound for sometime before looking back up at his friend's face, "I'll tell Ginny you finally did it." Harry smiled, once again Ron had shown his innate ability to understand a situation as it was not as he wanted it to be.

Hermione, as expected, also understood the seriousness of their friend's wound. She had become an accomplished healer as the three had searched for the pieces of Voldermort's soul but magic only went so far. She shook her head sadly as she stared at the blood that stained Harry's clothes and the ground, "I'm sorry, Harry, I really am." Harry just shook his head, there was nothing he could say. None of this was Hermione's or Ron's fault and he had no regrets for the final outcome of his battle. No matter the consequences.

The three sat together in silence for sometime before Hermione finally posed the question that had been burning both in herself and Ron, "So, is he…is he really gone?"

Harry nodded weakly, feeling his strength begin to drain away as quickly as his blood was, "Yeah, he really is." He heard their sighs of relief before another silence captured the group. Harry knew Hermione and Ron were wondering what to say, what to do. He knew they were questioning the future, wondering how they could press on with one of them gone.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Harry wondered the same thing. He wondered what would happen to the others once he was gone. He had spent many sleepless nights over the past year asking himself that question. Of course he had been long prepared for this outcome, deep down he knew he would never survive this battle. But now that it was all over he wondered what would happen to those he would leave behind.

"Hey, guys." Hermione and Ron looked over at Harry who was now fighting for every breath, but he had to at least get this out. "Thanks, for…for everything."

His friends exchanged smiles, Hermione hugged him gently to avoid causing him more pain "You're welcome, Harry." she whispered in his ear.

Ron struggled into a sitting position, resting against the trunk of the tree they sat under, "Yeah, don't worry about it, Harry. We told you, you're stuck with us till the end, mate."

Harry nodded, resting his head on Hermione's shoulder. Finally he muttered, "I'm so tired."

Pulling away from the hug, Hermione helped Harry to lay down, silent tears pouring down her face. "Does it hurt?" She asked.

Ron rolled his eyes, "No, Hermione, the gaping hole in his side feels great." Hermione looked ready to pummel Ron when Harry suddenly started laughing.

"You two will never change, will you?" He continued to laugh until a coughing spell forced him to stop. Ron and Hermione shared sad looks, they knew the end was near. Soon it would all really be over. Harry regained control of himself and sighed, staring up at the clear blue sky. How ironic, he mused, that it would be such a nice day. He smiled, he would not have it any other way.

"It's warm." Hermione commented.

"Yeah." Ron agreed. "It is, don't you agree, Harry?"

Harry said nothing for sometime, he had long lost any feeling of warmth. He looked over at Ron and Hermione for probably the last time, his eyes were already losing focus on the world around him. He smiled, for some reason he could not remember any time they had spent together, no memories came flooding back to him, no reminiscing on a simpler past. All he was aware of was the here and now; when here, among the chirping of birds the rustling of trees and the bright shine of the noon time sun, it had all finally come to an end. Where he had finally found the peace of a home with the only family he had.

"Yeah. It's a really nice day." Harry muttered, his eyes drooping shut as a single tear trickled down his face, "It's perfect."

And so the boy who lived, died.

A boy lost his life.

The Potter line came to an end.

A girl would be left waiting.

Two friends were left alone.

And a new life, a life without fear, finally began. And a battle that had stretched across decades was truly, and finally, over.


End file.
